September 11: Over 200 devotees from Punakha, Paro and Thimphu are attending the Yarney, the conclusion of a 45 day long ceremony, at the Tango Shedra.

Some of the devotees have come from as far as Monggar. The ceremony was presided over by His Holiness Gyelsey Tenzin Rabgay and the venerable Dorji Lopon of Zhung Dratshang.

The Yarney is an annual ceremony and lasts about a month and a half. It was first held at the Tango Shedra in 1969. Since then it has been introduced in six Shedras across the kingdom.

During the Yarney, the monks are required to stay confined in their Shedra, learning religious scriptures, practicing meditation and receiving initiations.

It is usually held in the summer. According to the Principal of the Tango Shedra, Lopen Khandu, the practice was introduced by the Buddha himself. His disciples spend the summer taking part in religious discourse and debates. When the summer season is over, they ventured out of their monasteries to preach the teachings of the Buddha and also collect alms.

At the conclusion of the Yarney, His Holiness Gyelsey Tenzin Rabgye and other trulkus explained the teachings of the Buddha to the gathering in laymen’s language.

The Tango Monastery was established 368 years ago by His Holiness Geylsey Tenzin Rabgay. The Shedra has more than 200 monks.